Ignoring Disney’s Most Controversial Movie Isn’t an Option Anymore

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Disney has faced criticism before, but there’s one film the studio has actively tried to hide from public view. Released in 1946, Song of the South combines live actors with animation to tell the story of a young boy named Johnny who goes to live with his grandmother at her plantation in Georgia after his parents split up.

In the film, Johnny encounters Uncle Remus, who convinces him not to run away. He also befriends Toby, a boy living on the plantation, and Ginny, a girl who prevents her brothers from harming a puppy. However, the movie is now well-known for its harmful and racist portrayal of African Americans and the post-Civil War South. Because of this, Disney has attempted to distance itself from the film while still acknowledging certain aspects of its legacy.

Song Of The South Was Always Controversial

The movie Song of the South premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, but not all of its main players were there. Walt Disney briefly appeared to introduce the film before leaving. James Baskett, the film’s star, couldn’t attend because Atlanta was segregated at the time, and he wouldn’t have been permitted inside the theater.

Although the film generally received good reviews, many critics pointed out problems with the story itself. Time Magazine even suggested it could cause controversy for its creator. It’s still debated whether Disney faced significant criticism for Song of the South.

The movie was promoted with a weekly newspaper comic strip, Uncle Remus and His Tales of Br’er Rabbit, which ran every Sunday for nearly three decades, from 1945 to 1972. Disney also re-released the film five times between 1956 and 1989, and the final release coincided with the debut of Splash Mountain – a Disneyland ride inspired by the movie.

For years, Disney maintained that the Splash Mountain ride was based only on the animated parts of the film. However, after the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in 2020, Disney announced that Splash Mountain would be reimagined as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, tying it to the story of The Princess and the Frog.

Song Of The South Created A Hit Tune And Popular Characters That Disney Didn’t Want To Erase

Disney has never made Song of the South available for home viewing in the United States. However, it was released on VHS and LaserDisc in other countries and is now available on Blu-ray in Spain and Italy, as it’s entered the public domain there. Despite not being officially released for many years, parts of Song of the South remain recognizable to many people.

As a huge Disney fan, I’ve always loved “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”! It’s amazing to me that Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert wrote this song for a movie and it actually won an Oscar! It quickly became a classic, and for years, you could hear it everywhere at the parks. I remember enjoying it on Splash Mountain, and it was always part of the Main Street Electrical Parade. They even used it to finish off the Mickey Mouse Review – it was the perfect, cheerful ending!

Beyond the theme parks, Disney used an instrumental version of the song in commercials on the Disney Channel. They also created a disco remix for the 1979 album Mickey Mouse Disco, which was later re-released on CD in 1995 and is now available on streaming platforms like Amazon Music and Apple Music. The song became quite famous – even the Jackson 5 recorded their own version!

The characters from Disney’s Song of the South – Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear – were popular fixtures at Disney parks and beyond for many years. While costumed versions of the characters stopped appearing in 2020, reminders of them lingered at Disneyland. A statue of Br’er Rabbit remained near Cinderella’s Castle until 2021, and artwork featuring the trio in The Briar Patch gift shop wasn’t replaced until 2023.

Over the years, Br’er Bear and his friends have made appearances in several movies and TV shows. You can spot Br’er Bear in Who Framed Roger Rabbit and see a brief appearance on the cartoon Bonkers. All three characters were regular guests on the House of Mouse series, which aired from 2001 to 2003. They’ve also been featured in video games, including the 2024 release Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.

Disney Wants To Keep Song Of The South In The Vault, But They Can’t Keep It There Forever

Look, as much as I love Disney history, it’s pretty clear Song of the South isn’t coming back, and honestly, that’s probably a good thing. I’ve read a lot about it, and even if they slapped a disclaimer on it, the film just doesn’t offer anything worthwhile. It glosses over a really tough period in American history with this overly optimistic tone, and that’s just not okay. There’s no real value there to justify revisiting it.

As much as Disney tries to protect its classics, even they can’t hold onto everything forever! In 2042, this movie goes into the public domain in the US, which means anyone can release it – whether it’s on DVD, Blu-ray, or just popping up on YouTube. I’m already picturing someone making a cheap, scary version of it. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up as part of that ‘Twisted Childhood’ horror series – that would be wild!

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2026-01-16 20:39